


Aftershock

by magequisition



Category: House M.D.
Genre: 3x03 coda, Angst, Cuddles, F/M, Fluff, mention of assisted suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-01
Updated: 2014-06-01
Packaged: 2018-01-27 21:42:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1723466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magequisition/pseuds/magequisition
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The night after she helped the old doctor die, Cameron turned to the only person she could for comfort.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Aftershock

**Author's Note:**

> Set right after 3x03 and ignores any canon after that because, well, I haven't seen any further yet. But my baby is in pain and therefore I must soothe her with cuddles.

She showed up at his office at ten o'clock at night without a word. How she knew he'd still be there, he had no idea, but there she was. She let herself in and stood in front of him, face still stained with tears and run mascara, eyes still red and puffy.

“Thought you weren't a believer,” he said, referring to where he'd found her in the chapel that morning and where he assumed she'd been all day given that he hadn't seen her.

“Shut up,” she said, and her voice caught.

He stood up slowly and forewent his cane, opting to steady himself with the edge of his desk before coming to lean against it on the opposite side.

“I'm sorry, Cameron. I really am proud of you.”

She bit her lip as tears started to flow again, and she stepped forward and pressed her face into his chest.

“I'm never going to forgive myself. I know it was right, but I still, I...” she trailed off, unable to form the words.

House shifted slightly, making sure his weight was entirely on the desk before carefully wrapping his arms around the tiny woman in front of him. God, he really was twice her size.

“You helped him. That's all. You took his pain away. That's our job, isn't it?” he asked.

“I killed him,” she said, looking up at him briefly before dissolving into fully fledged sobs, her face falling into his chest again. His hand rubbed her back while he waited for her breathing to even out.

“You helped him,” House repeated when she had begun to calm. “And it'll get easier. You will forgive yourself, Allison.”

Cameron's head shot up at the sound of her first name.

“What?” House asked.

“I don't think you've ever used my first name. Ever.”

“Have I found a new and innovative way to be offensive?” House asked, mock incredulousness flooding his voice. “Hallelujah my work here is done!”

Cameron smiled through the few tears still trailing along her cheeks as she tried to glare at him.

“Oh shut up.”

“Come on, Dr. Cameron,” House said, his voice all business. “Let's get you home. You need to be away from the hospital right now.” He eyed the purse at Cameron's side. “Where do you hide your car keys in that thing?”

“They're in my jacket pocket. Why?”

“I don't trust you to drive. I'm taking you home. C'mon. Grab my cane for me, don't make me walk around the desk again.”

Cameron stepped back, rubbing at her eyes and moving to grab House's cane. “I'm sorry about your -” she started.

House held up a hand. “Don't.”

Cameron grabbed his cane wordlessly and handed it to him.

“Great. Let's get out of here.”

*****

It wasn't long before they arrived at Cameron's apartment. They went upstairs and, as she unlocked the door and stepped inside, she turned around.

“Do you want to come in?”

House raised an eyebrow. “You know, I'm kinda getting mixed signals since you, uh, turned me down for that drink.”

“Your bike is at the hospital and you can hardly walk home from here. Besides, I just...don't really want to be alone right now.”

Unusually, the cocky mask fell from House's face instantly and he followed Cameron into her apartment. He watched as she dropped her purse beside the door and hung her coat on a hook, toeing off her shoes as she did so, and he followed her into her living room where she sat on the couch. He sat beside her, laying his cane on the floor, and his stomach felt uneasy when she immediately leaned back onto him, her eyes drifting shut. It had, of course, been over twenty four hours since she'd slept, so he wasn't surprised that the combination of guilt, grief, and exhaustion had knocked her out. Nothing interesting about that diagnosis.

It wasn't until she'd been asleep for nearly an hour and the unease in his stomach still hadn't passed that he realised it wasn't some kind of stomach ailment, but nervous excitement at the fact that he was finally holding Cameron in his arms that was causing the tossing. He shifted himself into a slightly more comfortable position and settled her against him more securely before brushing a light kiss along her hairline – Christ, who _was_ he, anyway – and closed his own eyes. 

 


End file.
